The Margaret and Colin Roderick Literary Award is presented annually by the Foundation for Australian Literary Studies at Queensland's James Cook University for "the best book published in Australia which deals with any aspect of Australian life". It was first presented in 1967 and now has a prize of A$50,000. Starting in 1980, the H. T. Priestley Memorial Medal has also been bestowed upon the award winner.
The Award was founded by Colin Roderick, an Australian "writer, editor, academic and educator".
| Year | Author | Title | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | Trent Dalton | Lola in the Mirror | Shortlisted | |
| Aisha Dow and Melissa Cunningham | Life as We Knew It: the Extraordinary Story of Australia's Pandemic | |||
| Kate Grenville | Restless Dolly Maunder | |||
| Rebecca Lim | Two Sparrowhawks in a Lonely Sky | |||
| Amanda Lohrey | The Conversation | |||
| Rachelle Unreich | A Brilliant Life | |||
| Alexis Wright | Praiseworthy | |||
| Melissa Lucashenko | Edenglassie | Winner | ||
| Bradley Christmas | Saltwater Boy | Longlisted | ||
| Sally Hepworth | Darling Girls | |||
| Red Room Poetry | A Line in the Sand: 20 years of Red Room Poetry | |||
| Allison Tait | The First Summer of Callie McGee | |||
| Ellen van Neerven | Personal Score | |||
| Sally Young | Media Monsters: the Transformation of Australia's Newspaper Empires | |||
| 2025 | Garry Disher | Sanctuary | Shortlisted | |
| Jane Godwin | Look Me in the Eye | |||
| Gail Jones | One Another | |||
| Leah Kaminsky | Disorders of the Blood | |||
| Khin Myint | Fragile Creatures | Winner | ||
| Lainie Anderson | The Death of Dora Black | Longlisted | ||
| Robbie Arnott | Dusk | |||
| Danielle Binks | Six Summers of Tash Leopold | |||
| Darren McCullum | The Wobbly Bike | |||
| John Wayne Parr | The Fighter | |||
| 2026 | Evelyn Araluen | The Rot | Shortlisted | |
| Aaron Fa'Aoso & Michelle Scott Tucker with Lyn White | Spirit of the Crocodile | |||
| Glen Farmer Illortaminni | Tiwi in Paris | |||
| Natalie Harkin | Apron-Sorrow / Sovereign-Tea | |||
| Raaza Jamshed | What Kept You? | |||
| Hannah Kent | Always Home, Always Homesick: A Memoir | |||
| Tony Birch | Pictures of You | Longlisted | ||
| Nicole Crowe | The Washup | |||
| Garry Disher | Mischance Creek | |||
| Megan Morais, Lucy Nampijinpa Martin, Peggy Nampijinpa Martin, Marilyn Nampijinpa Martin, Leah Nampijinpa Martin, Helen Napurrurla Morton, Janet Nakamarra Long, Maisie Napaljarri Kitson, Maureen Nampijinpa O’Keefe, Clarrie Kemarr Long, Jeannie Nampijinpa Presley, Marjorie Nampijinpa Brown, Selina Napanangka Williams, Myfany Turpin |
Yawulyu: Art and Song in Warlpiri Women’s Ceremony | |||
| Omar Musa | Fierceland | |||
| Leonie Norrington, Merrkiyawuy Ganambarr-Stubbs, Djawa Burarrwanga and Djawundil Maymuru | A Piece of Red Cloth | |||
| Josephine Rowe | Little World | |||
| Grace Yee | Joss: a History |